David Walliams - Ten Fun Facts 1. David swam 140 miles down the River Thames to raise money for Sports Relief 2. During his Thames swim David rescued a labrador dog that had fallen into the river! 3. His career in showbiz began when he was 24 years old and wrote The Ant and Dec show 4. David's literary idol is Roald Dahl 5. His role model is the fourth Doctor in the Doctor Who series 6. In 2010, David cycled from one end of Great Britain to another for Sport Relief 7. One of his favourite chocolates is Maltesers 8. His real name is David Williams but he takes the stage surname Walliams 9. He was a Navy cadet in school because he liked the uniform 10. David's sister used to dress him up in girls clothes when he was little